Events in 2008 showed a crack in University policies when it comes to women’s needs.

Professors were found sexually harassing female students.

The Women’s Studies Department was housed in a dilapidated building – complete with mice, roaches and asbestos.

The University’s upper administration continued to lack senior female officials.

And another year goes by without a women’s center.

Women make up 57 percent of the University’s undergraduate population, but judging by the lack of resources to meet their needs, it’s difficult to remember there’s a female majority. Although the University lags behind in some areas such as child care and family leave, it does exceed national averages for pay equity.

But in some areas, improvement still needs to be made.

Pay Equity

Pay equity is an ongoing concern among many University faculty. In 2006, a study conducted by the American Association of University Professors reported women at all doctoral universities earn 78.1 percent of what men earn on average for all faculty positions. The University’s salary average was higher than the national average, with female faculty earning 85.2 percent of male faculty salaries. Women with assistant, associate or full professor titles at the University earned at least 93 percent of the salaries of their male counterparts, ranking higher than national averages.

Though the University exceeds national averages, some faculty have said it isn’t enough. In the faculty and staff Columns weekly newsletter, a December 2006 letter signed by more than 100 University faculty members across all fields described a disappointment in the University’s released statement about its higher salary averages.

“The data indicate that the university discriminates against us: are we supposed to applaud the administration for doing so at a rate of 7 percent less than the national average? Are we to tell our female students that they should be grateful to work for an institution that pays women less than men, because other places are worse?” the letter said.

“I would venture to say that women in my experience tend to make less … Part of the issue is the acculturation of women to not create a ruckus, and women are less likely to negotiate or ask for more,” said Dawn Bennett-Alexander, an associate professor in the Institute of Legal Studies and Real Estate. “Women are taught not to scream and yell or rock the boat. I wouldn’t blame it on any employer, including the University, but at the same time there’s something to be said for making less and asking for less.”

Nationally, pay inequity is common at universities and colleges, said Lisa Maatz, a spokeswoman for the American Association for University Women, a research and educational organization advocating equity for women.

“Women tend to be gathered in a handful of occupations. We don’t have enough women in positions that pay well. But in positions that pay well, they still make less than men counterparts.”

Maatz said in a phone interview this imbalance at a university setting and a public perception of a pay gap could affect concerns such as the positions women are chosen for, campus child care and maternity leave.

Catherine Hill, a researcher at AAUW who has studied women’s academic issues such as tenure, said imbalance in titles can hurt a collegiate workplace.

“In academia, women remain underrepresented at the upper levels, and this means that we don’t have their perspective in the decision making process. A lack of diversity at the top means that decisions are made that don’t represent the full picture,” she said.

Women’s Facilities

Another concern is having an adequate health or resource center to offer support and information on concerns of women. The University has a women’s clinic to address women’s health needs, but not a women’s center, which offers support and information on issues and concerns of women, such as history, networking and wellness education.

“It would be nice to have a women’s center,” said Marisa Pagnattaro, an associate professor of Legal Studies and Real Estate. “It would be a really great resource, and it’s long overdue.”

Hundreds of universities and colleges have women’s centers. Of schools that are similar to the University and serve as comparative benchmarks, nine out of 12 have a women’s center – including Iowa State University, the University of Maryland and the University of Arizona. Louisiana State University’s women’s center serves as a meeting place for organizations, and offers leadership programs, information and assistance on issues such as sexual assault and violence.

Child Care and Family Leave

Child care and family leave are top problems the University should address, Pagnattaro said. During the last few years, faculty have voiced a desire for better access to campus child care, stemming from the on-campus McPhaul Center’s limited space.

This year, the results from the University’s Child Care Needs Assessment Survey indicated 74 percent of all respondents said they would be “very likely” to use a University-sponsored child care center, and 92 percent supported the development of one. The surveyors estimated 240 spots would be used by faculty and students in a future facility, and the University is continuing to develop the right model for the campus, according to a March 2008 Columns article.

Bennett-Alexander said the evolution of day care needs was a natural process.

“I don’t see the changes as a negative thing, because we grow in grace. By demonstrating in marches and letters, we’re bringing it to people’s attention,” she said. “The day care issue took on more steam and was able to be resolved.”

Paid family leave is another women’s issue at the University. The policy follows the guidelines from the Family Medical Leave Act, which allows faculty to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for conditions defined by that act. Faculty and staff may use accumulated sick days to provide paid leave when taking family leave, according to the policy. When the sick leave time is used, faculty must take leave without pay if they want to use the full amount of time provided by the Family Medical Leave Act. In other words, personal absences involving childbirth or family illness may not include paid leave benefits.

“There is certainly a lot of room for improvement in the way the University handles paid family leave,” Pagnattaro said. She said University Council is working on finding a solution to handle paid family leave by looking at models from other schools such as the University of Virginia and Arizona State University.

Nationally, paid family leave is a concern at other universities. According to a 2007 survey conducted by the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, only 78 percent of the 189 institutions surveyed had formal, university-wide policies providing paid pregnancy leave. Forty-four percent of colleges and universities surveyed said they allowed faculty members to take unpaid leave beyond the up to 12 weeks mandated by the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Bennett-Alexander said with women’s issues, it was important to emphasize an educational component to create clarity throughout the community.

“I think the University has done a good job of listening when issues come up,” she said. “But we’re still a work in progress when it comes to appropriate responses … what’s most important is that it’s open to change once there’s a need for it.”